The Beatles are considered to be the most influential band of all time. Almost every man and his dog can relate to their songs. That’s the main reason why, for over about 10 years, they revolutionized song writing leaving a strong legacy on rock "n’ roll. But what does their music mean in Malta?
To answer these questions I asked Paul Grech, 65, who is a Liverpool fan and a Beatle enthusiast. He was part of Beatlemania. I asked him what did the Beatles symbolise for the Maltese.
“The Beatles left a great influence on the Maltese. Teenagers tried to imitate their famous trademark haircut and their grey suits, complete with the narrow drainpipe trousers which, incidentally, are making a comeback as a fashion statement. Conversation often centred on gossip about the Beatles.”
Another massive influence was on meditation, the search for peace and other far eastern philosophies when the Fab Four visited India and spent time with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Maharishi had developed what was known as the Transcendental Meditation technique, Mr Grech said.
“In the late Sixties and early Seventies, the Maharishi became internationally acclaimed as the guru to the Beatles.”
Mr Grech remembers a particular incident when it was announced that the Beatles were coming over to the University (in those days, the university was in St Paul Street, Valletta) to be presented with an award, and a lot of teenagers gathered in front of it. To the chagrin of the crowd, the news item was but an April fool’s joke.
But what did their music represent? Mr Grech said that their music was the kind you could relate to, in the sense that the experiences they sang about were, or had been, experienced by people all over the world. They sang about human emotions that had an international appeal and struck a chord with the listeners.
“You could hear their music on every radio station and everyone would enjoy listening to them. The death of their manager, Brian Epstein, affected them to a great extent because they changed their attitudes overnight. He used to show them how they should behave and interact with their fans. After his death, they showed that they couldn’t manage themselves without him, which eventually led them to their breakup in 1970.”
The Beatles, alongside Liverpool FC, are two of the main sources of economy for Liverpool every year. Millions of tourists visit Liverpool to visit the Beatles Story Museum or follow in their footsteps visiting haunts they mention in their songs such as Strawberry Fields, the Barber Shop and the Eleanor Rigby grave.
The Beatles were a great influence to the world of music which is why they shocked the world when they announced that they were going to break up.